An ink-jet recording apparatus is used extensively for image formation apparatuses (called also as image recording apparatus) such as printers, facsimiles, copiers, and the like.
An ink-jet recording apparatus carries out recording of images on a sheet by discharging ink from a recording head. Here, sheet is not limited to paper but also includes OHP sheet, and the like. Thus, “sheet” represents the medium on which images are formed and is also called as medium to be recorded or recording medium, or recording paper. An ink-jet recording apparatus has various advantageous features such as capability of recording high-definition images at high speed, low running cost, little noise, and capability of recording color images easily by using multiple color inks.
For the ink cartridge used in conventional ink-jet recording apparatuses, there is disclosed a device in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 10-202901, in which ink is filled in a hard case of rectangular shell, or there exists a device described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 10-202900 having a flexible bag-like tank equipped with an ink exit and a chassis (case) provided with an opening so as to allow loading and unloading of the ink tank to and from the chassis through the opening.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, there is a known ink cartridge formed of an ink storage part 501 for storing ink, a cylindrical case 502 accommodating therein the ink storage part 501, and a cover lid member 503 covering the front face of the cylindrical case 502. In this construction, there is further provided a holding member 504 integral to the ink storage part 501 such that the holding member 504 includes a sealed ink filling opening 505 of cylindrical form used for filling the ink and an ink supplying opening 506 of cylindrical form for supplying the ink. In operation, the holding member 504 is fixed upon the cylindrical case 502 by pushing the holding member 504 in such a manner that a protrusion part 504a of the holding member 504 catches a hole 502a provided on the wall midway of the cylindrical case 502.
Here, the ink storage part 501 forms a frame body 511 together with the holding member 504 and a film-like member 512 formed of an inner resin film and an outer aluminum film is welded upon the frame body 511 at the outside thereof.
Meanwhile, in recent ink-jet recording apparatuses, the required picture quality is increasing, and associated with this, the ink consumption is increasing also. Under such a situation, there arises a problem, in a conventional ink-jet recording apparatus in which the ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage, in that frequent exchange ink cartridge becomes necessary. Thus, there is a tendency in the art of ink-jet recording to employ a construction in which only a small sub tank is mounted on the carriage and the ink is supplied to the sub tank from a main ink cartridge, which is mounted on the body of the ink-jet recording apparatus.
Thus, the size of the ink cartridge is increasing, while such an increase of the size of the ink cartridge raises the problem in that mere discarding of used ink cartridge as in the case of the ink cartridge described in the Japanese Laid Open Patent Application 10-202901 causes the problem of serious waste of resources. Thus, it has become necessary to provide a construction that enables effective reuse of the resources.
In view of the situation noted above, there is proposed an ink cartridge in the Japanese Laid Open Patent Application 10-202900 that allows detachable accommodation of the ink tank in the chassis part, while such a conventional construction has a drawback in that the ink tank is unstable and stable supply of the ink is difficult.
In the case the ink cartridge is plugged into the main body of the ink-jet recording apparatus from an upward direction with such an orientation such that the ink supplying opening (supply opening) faces the downward direction, the ink tank is held in the chassis part in a somewhat stabilized state. On the other hand, in the case of using the construction in which the ink cartridge is plugged into the main body from the front side with such an orientation that the ink supplying opening faces a lateral or horizontal direction (hereinafter, such a construction will be called “front loading construction”), the ink tank is held in the chassis in the inclined state. Thus, such a front loading structure cannot be used.
Furthermore, with the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 1, there arises a problem poor operability when assembling or deassembling the cartridge in view of the fact that it becomes necessary to push the holding member formed integral with the frame body of the ink storage part into the cylindrical case having an opening generally the same size of the holding member and then to pull out the holding member from the cylindrical case.
Also, there exists a problem of poor stability when supplying ink by removing the ink storage part from the cylindrical case together with the holding member. Further, in the case the ink is supplied in the state in which the ink storage part is mounted to the cylindrical case together with the holding member, there arises a problem in that it is not possible to confirm the status of the ink storage part. Thus, there is a problem in such a construction that refilling of the ink is difficult.
Further, because of the construction of the ink storage part of FIG. 1 in which the film-like member 512 is attached to the frame body 511 forming a unitary body with the holding member 504, there arise problems such as a gap being formed easily between the frame body 511 and the film-like member 512, and it is difficult to apply external pressure to the film-like member 512, leading to the problem that unused ink tends to remain in the ink storage part.
In view of the problems noted above, it is preferable to construct the ink storage part in the form of a bag such that the entire ink storage part has flexibility.
On the other hand, in the case the ink storage part is constructed in the form of flexible bag, it becomes necessary to provide a protection cover for improving load/unload operability to and from the recording apparatus main body and further for improving durability, while such a necessity raises the problem of providing a construction enabling easy loading and unloading of the flexible ink bag having a protective cover at the time of refilling of the ink.